Potato-digger.



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No. 783,626. PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905. G. J. GUMMINGS.

POTATO BIGGER.

APPMUATION FILED FEB. s, 1904.

Z SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

, lilo. 783,620.

liederen Smarts Patented. February 28, 190th.

Partnr @erica CHARLES J'. CUMMllNGS, 0F TULLY, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,620, dated February28, 1905.

ApDlieation ille' February 8, 1904. Serial No. 192,676.

Be it known that I, CHARLES J'. CUMMINes, a citizen ot' the UnitedStates, and a resident o'l' '.lully, in the county of Onondaga and Stateof New York, have invented a new and useful improvement inPotato-Diggers, o'l'l which the `following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to that class of potatodiggers which areprovided in rear of the plow or scoop with one or more endlessseparators or elevators upon which the earth and potatoes pass from theplow or scoop and by which the earth is loosened and separated from thepotatoes.

'lhe invention has for its object to improve the separating mechanismwith a View of effecting a more complete separation ot' the potatoesirom the earth and dropping the potatoes upon the ground in such mannerthat the potatoes are not liable to be covered by the loose earth, butare exposed and can be readilypicked up.

ln the accompanying' drawings, consisting oi? two sheets, Figure l is aside elevation of a potato-digger provided with my improvements. Fig. E2is a top plan View thereol. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevationin line 3 3. Fig. 2. Fig. Il is a vertical transverse section throughthe iinal separator in line et Lt, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a detached verticalcross-section through one of the concentrating-racks on an enlargr-idscale.

Like letters ot' reference reler to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the longitudinal side pieces et' the main frame, whichlatter may be of any suitable construction and is preferably supportedon tour driving-wheels-----front wheels A and rear wheels Us in order toprovide ample traction-power, although other means for driving theseparators may be employed, it desired. A similar mechanism Jfor drivingthe movable parts 'from tour driving-wheels is described and shown in myPatent No. 735,216, August Ll, 1903, to which reference is made :l'or amore complete description thereof.

` fl represents the adjustableilirame, in which the plows andthe-separator mechanism are mounted and which is pivotally supported onthe rear axle It. This Aframe is capable oif verand sprocketwheels l 1.

tical adjustment by any suitable means, so that the plows can be raisedand lowered to regulate the depth ot' cut or can be carried above theground. The mechanism shown for that purpose consists et' upright rodsl, attached at their lower ends to the `front portion et' theplow-iframe B and at their upper ends to rock-arms 7) on a transverserockshaft 52,' which is provided with an adjustinglever e, held inposition on a locking-segment lll.

C represents the plows or scoops secured side by side in the t'rontportion of the plowframe.

D represents the primary separator, which is mounted in the plow-framein rear oi2 the plows and ascends rearwardly thereii'rom. This separatorconsists1 as usual, of two endless chains cZ, arranged on the innersides of the longitudinal members of the plow-frame, and cross-bars d',which are preferably formed in one piece with the adjacent chain-links.'.lhese cross-bars and links Ylr'orm a skeleton apron which travels withits upper portion rearwardly and upwardly from the plows. The cross-barsare so spaced that they will prevent potatoes of average size fromdropping through. This primary separator runsl at the lront directly inrear et the plows around a roller E, com posed oi' disks c, secured to atransverse shaitt e', and at the rear around twoulriving sprocket-wheelsAF, mounted on a transverse shal'tf. The separator mechanism ispreferably driven from a main drivingshaft which is arrangedtransversely on the main Yframe A above the lront portion ol theplow-t`rame and connected with the rear axle a, by a drivechain /1 andsprocket-wheels lil lil and with the front axle u. by a drive-chain iThe driving sprocket-wheels F oi' the primary sewn-atei' are driven`from the main shaft y ou the righthand side of the machina as follows:represents a drive-cl'iail'i which runs around a sj'u'ocket\vlieel li onthe main shaft q and around a sprocket-wheel K', mounted loosely on therear axle u.. The sprocket-wheel 1/ is secured to a gear-wheel K2, whichmeshes with a gear-wheel K3 on the shaltf, to which the sprocket-wheelsF are secured.

L represents a cleaninga'oller which is jour- IOC) naled loosely in theplow-frame underneath the lower or return reach of the primary separatorin such a position that the cross-bars of this separator will strikeagainst this roller in moving' forwardly to the frontroller E and willthereby be freed from adhering earth. This roller is made of rigidmaterial-such as wood or iron, or both-so that the impact of the barsagainst the roller will effect the desired cleaning of the separator.The roller is rotated by the separator-bars moving over it and is notrequired to be rotated by special driving mechanism.

M represents the secondary separator,which is arranged in rear of theprimary separator and receives therefrom the potatoes, vines, and othermaterial which have not passed through the primary separator. Thisseparator also consists of an endless skeleton apron composed ofchain-links m and crossbars m'. The latter are spaced so far apart thatthe potatoes will drop through this separator, while vines and otherlarge material are carried on this separator and discharged over therear end thereof. This separator is driven at the rear bysprocket-wheels N, secured to a transverse shaft n, and runs aroundfront rollers i and intermediate rollers N2. The shaft n is driven onthe left-hand side of the machine from the sprocket-shaft f of theprimary separator by a drive-chain O and sprocket-wheels O O2. Thisfinal separatingapron is preferably hung rather loosely upon thesprocket-wheels N and rollers N N2, so that the lower or return reach ofthe apron is rather slack. Between the upper and lower reaches of thisseparator there are arranged two longitudinal inwardly-converging racksI), which are secured with their upper and outer ends tothe side piecesof the plow-frame and are separated at their inner and lower ends by acomparatively narrow longitudinal space. Each of these racks ispreferably composed of an upper longitudinal bar p, which is secured tothe outer side of the plow-frame, downwardly and rearwardly inclinedrods or bars p', which are so spaced that they will not allow thepotatoes to pass through, anda lower longitudinal connecting-bar p2.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The earth and potatoeselevated by the plows are further elevated by the primaryseparator, anda considerable portion of the earth is detached from the potatoes anddropped through the primary separator to the ground, while the potatoes,vines, and other large matter are delivered to the final separator. Thepotatoes drop here first through the upper reach of the separator, andthose potatoes which fall upon the concentrating-racks are defiectedinwardly. The potatoes pass downwardly through the narrow space betweenthe concentrating-racks to the lower reach of the final separator anddrop from the latter to the ground in a row of comparatively smallwidth,

which renders it easy to pick up the potatoes. The earth which isseparated from the potatoes on the upper reach of the final separatordrops readily through the bars of the separator to the ground, while thepotatoes are retarded more or less in dropping' through the upper reachof the separator, the concentrating-racks, and the lower reach of theseparator. The potatoes therefore reach the ground last and are notliable to be covered by loose earth, whereby the operation of collectingthe potatoes is greatly facilitated.

Instead of two concentrating-racks arranged as above described a singleinclined rackmay be employed, as represented in Fig.

I claim as my invention-- l. In a potato-digger, the combination of anendless traveling separating-apron which allows the potatoes to dropthrough its upper and lower reaches, and an open stationary rack whichis arranged between the upper and lower reaches of said apron and whichallows the earth to drop through while it retards the potatoes anddefiects the same laterally, substantially as set forth,

Q. In apotato-digger, the combination of an endless travelingseparating-apron which allows the potatoes to drop through its upper andlowerreaches, and a stationary rack which is arranged between the upperand lower reaches of the apron and directs the potatoes to the middle ofthe lower reach, substantially as set forth.

3. In a potato-digger, the combination of an endless separator and twodownwardly-converging deflecting-racks arranged between the upper andlower reaches of the separator, substantially as set forth.

4. In a potato-digger, the combination of a frame provided at its frontend with a plow, a longitudinal endless separating-apron which allowsthe potatoes to drop through its upper and lower reaches, and astationary defiectingrack secured to said frame and extending betweenthe upper and lower reaches of said apron, said rack directing thepotatoes to the middle of the lower reach, substantially as set forth.

5. In a potato-digger, the combination of a frame provided at its frontend with a plow, a primary endless separator arranged in said frame inrear of said plow, a final endless separator arranged in said frame inrear of said primary separator, and downwardly-convergingdeflecting-racks secured to said frame and extending between the upperand lower reaches of said final separator, substantially as set forth.

Vitness my hand this 14th day of January, 1904.

CHARLES J. GUMMINGS.

l/Vitnesses:

F. MoCULLoon, F. P. ARNOLD.

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